Railroad-switch



Patented Dec. 30,1919. 2 SHEETS-SHEET r.

s4, attaining 5 i JAMES #29752 .I. HESTER.

. RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 28,19I9,

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28. 1919. "1,326,263;

I. HESTER. RAILROAD SWITCH.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2' H 5 gnwmhz JAMES Marmand claimed.

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES.HESTER, 0F DINKINS, TEXAS.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Litres Hnsrnn, a c1t1- zen ofthe United States of America, residing at Dinkins in the county of Brazos and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad- Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to railway switches,

.andhas for its object the provision ofsimple andefficient means forthrowing a switch of a railway track, whereby a train of cars or a single car may be switched from the main track onto another track or on a siding.

With thisand Other objects in View, the

invention consists of certainnovel construe-- tions, combinations, and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a switch.

constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 22, Fig. 1, looking'in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. '3 1s a transverse sectional v1ew taken on line 3-8, Fig.

1, looking in the direction on line l'1,'Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View taken on line 5-5, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6is'a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6, Fig.1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the mechanism, showing particularly the switch bar.

Fig. 8- is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a portiofof the switch mechanism,

showing particularly the means for receiving the guard rails and keeping the same normally from engagement with the switch bar. 7 v v 7 Referring to the drawings by numerals,

1 1 designates the main track and'2 2 (Fig. 1') designates the siding track.

switchbar5.

The tracks 11- and 2 2 are mounted upon primary ties 3, and interposed between two of the ties 3 is a low-down auxiliary tie 4, 'upon which tie-4 is slidably mounted a Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dc, 30 1919 Application filed-February 28, 1919. Serial No. 279,690.

Included in the main track 1--1 is a switch member 6, and included in the siding or side track 2-2 is a switch member 7. These switch members 6 and 7 are provided, near their outer ends, with depending integralextensions 8, which extensions 8 project" through the switch bar 5 (Fig. 5) and are headed at their lower ends, so that the switch members are securely assembled with the switch bar 5, yet there is a slight rotary movement of the extension 8 within the switch bar 5, permitting the slight adjustment of'the switch members 6 and 7 to accomplish the function of switching a train or a single car from one track to another track as hereinafter described.

Upon the upper face of the switch bar 5,

' thereby assembling the block and guard rail,

so that both move in unison. Upon referring to Figs. 1 and 7 it will be noted that each guard rail is secured to a block 11 near one end of the guardrail, and the other endof the guard rail is sufficiently fastened, by a suitablefasteningmeans, designated by numeral "145, near its outer end, to one of the ties 3. The inner end of each guard rail is slightly beveled, as at 15 (Fig. 8) sothat the car wheel can easily ride upon the guard rail, depressing the same and consequently depressing the block 11 upon which it is mounted, bringing the lower'toothed face of the block 11 into engagement with thelower toothed face or portion 10 of the switch bar 5, thereby locking the switch bar 5 from sliding movement. as long as the wheel of the car is running upon theguard rail.

The switch bar5 is adjusted longitudinally of the low-down auxiliary tie 4 by means of a mechanisrn'now to be described: Each guard rail is pressed upwardly by :means of a coil-spring 16, which spring 16 isplac'ed in a suitable pocketof a tie 3, contiguous to the auxiliary tie 4 (Fig. 7) whereby when no weight is upon the guard rail,

the spring16 will cause the guard rail to rise a sufficient distance to disengage the teeth 'of the block from the toothed or roughened portion 1010f the switch bar,

thereupon allowing the switch bar to be shifted as hereinafter described.

The shifting Inechanismfor the switchbar 5 comprises a primary bell-crank lever 17, pivotally mounted upon a tie 3, at 18, and the auxiliary bell-crank lever 19 is pivotally mounted upon the tie at 20. Each lever 17 and 19 is provided with elongated apertures, near its ends, and in one of the apertures a threaded extension 21 projects (Fig. 7) and upon the threaded extension is mounted a nut 22 for holding the lever and switch bar in an assembled position. A primary rod 23 is mounted in brackets 24: secured to the ties 3, and this rod 23 is adapted to slide upon these brackets. The bell-crank lever 17 is pivotally connected in its elongated aperture, at 25, to rod 23, and mounted between one of the brackets 24 and asetcollar 26, upon rod 23, is a coil-spring 27, which spring 27 causes the rod 23 to shift the lever 17 to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, when the lever has been moved to the dotted position shown, as shall hereinafter be described. Pivotally mounted, at 28, is a trigger link 29, which trigger link comprises an elongated apertured tailpiece 30 and an angle.forwardly-extending finger 31, Figs. 4 and 5. In the apertured end of the trigger link projects an extension 32 secured to the rod-23. The primary bellcrank lever 17 is pivotally connected, at 33, to the switch bar 5 (Fig. 1) and the auxiliary bell-crank lever 19 is also pivotally connected, at 33, tov said switch bar 5.

livotally connected, at 34-, in the elongated aperture on the outer end of the auxiliary bell-crank lever 19 is an auxiliary rod 23, which auxiliary rod 23 is slidably mounted in brackets 24, which brackets 24 are mounted upon ties 3 of the. road-bed. Mounted upon rod 23 is a coil-spring 27, which coil-spring is positioned between one of the brackets 2d and the adjustable set collar 26. "The auxiliary'trigger link 29 is similarly constructed to the primary triggen link 29.

In operation, whenalocomotive or a car carrying suitable means, as an angle-extension 35, for engaging the angle finger 31 of the. trigger link 29, approaches the trigger link, the means engaging the same and swinging upon its pivot 28, the rod 23 will be moved longitudinally of the track a sufiicient distance to swing the bell-crank levers 17 and 19 and the switch members 6 and 7, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby opening the switch or siding, and by the time the trigger link has been swung, the

wheels of the locomotive or car will be upon the guard rail 12, depressing the same and causingthe toothed block 11 to engage the meshing toothedface of the switch bar, thereby locking the bar in its adjusted position against movement of the springs carried by the'rods23 and 23', but as soon as the wheels have passed off of both of the guardrails, by reason'of the action of the springs onthe rods, the switch members 6 and 7 will be moved to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, thereby closing the siding and opening the main track 11.

If the train approaches the main track 11 on the siding -22, then the actuating means 35, carried by the locomotive or car, will come in contact with thetrigger link 29, opening the switch and allowing the train or a single car to pass, upon the main track l1 in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in Fig. 1 between the rails of the main track, and this open condition of the switch will continue, by reason of the wheels engaging the guard rails, until the last wheel has passed off ofthe guard rails, whereupon the springs will return the switch members to the open position shown in Fig. 1.

It will be noted that included in the mechanism is a shifting means for the switch bar carrying the switch members of the main track and the siding, and that there is provided a pair of guard rails that have a slight vertical play attheir inner ends, the inner ends of the guard rails being detachably secured to toothed blocks, which blocks engage similar portions on the switch bar when the car wheels are upon the guard rails for causing the switch bar to be locked against sliding movement until the wheels have been entirely removed from the guard rails, whereupon, through the .medium of the coil-springs, the switch mechanism will be actuated for causing the siding to be closed and the main track open.

The tension on the springs can be easily adjusted by the adjustable set-collars 26,

and to a certain extent, these springs will also constitute a bumper for taking up some of the shock caused by a rapidly moving Primary bracing strips 36 and auxiliary bracing strips 37 are secured to the top of the 'ties 3,. materially strengthening the 1 switch mechanism.

I wish it to be understood that I reserve the right to make certain alterations and changes as will be obvious to one skilled in the art to which this invention relates, and i which alterations andchanges 1 shall fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

-What lclaim is: a i r 1.,ln a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a main track and a upon said blocks,

engagement with said switch bar,

siding, a switch member included, in said main track and in said siding, of a switch bar under said tracks and switch members, said switch members provided with extensions projecting through said switch bar, guard rails, blocks positioned under said guard rails, means fastening said guard rails to said blocks, said blocks and switch bar provided with means for interlocking, when a train is passing over theguard rails, means normally holding said blocks from and means for shifting the switch bar and changing the position of said switch memhers with respect to the main track and the siding. r

2. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a main track and a siding, of a tie under said main track and siding, a switch bar slidably mounted upon said tie, said switch bar positioned under said track and siding, said main track and siding provided with switch members, means attaching said switch members to said switch bar, said switch bar provided with a pair of toothed portions upon its upper face, toothed blocks positioned above said toothed portions of said switch bar, guard rails positioned contiguous to said mainitrack and said siding and resting at their inner ends detachable means fastening the inner ends of said guard rails to said blocks, springs under said guard rails and normally holding the blocks from engagement with the toothed portions of said switch bar, bell-crank levers pivotally connected to said switch bar, spring-pressed rods pivotally connected to said bell-crank levers, and angle trigger links pivotally connected to said rods. .1

3. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a main track and a siding, of switch means included in said main track and siding for directing a car from one onto the other, a trigger link comprisingan aperture'd tail-piece and an angle trigger finger, means pivotally connecting tachably said apertured tail-piece of said trigger link to said switch means, and means actuated by a car wheel and adapted to hold said switch means in an adjusted position while a train or a car is passing over the switch means.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with ties, a main track and a siding mounted upon said ties, said main track and said siding each provided with a switch member, of a low-down auxiliary tie positioned between two of said first-mentioned ties, a flat switch bar slidably mounted upon said auxiliary tie, said switch members provided with integral headed extensions projecting through said switch bar, said switcl. bar provided with a pair of toothed portions formed upon its upper face, a pair of blocks positioned above said toothed portions, guard rails secured near their outer ends to ties, said guard rails desecured near their inner ends to the upper portion of said blocks, vertically positioned springs carried by some of said ties and positioned under said guard rails near said blocks, for normally holding the blocks from engagement with the toothed portions of said switch bar, a pair of bellcrank levers pivotally connected at their inner ends to said switch bar, brackets secured to some of said ties, parallel rods slidably mounted in said brackets, adjustable set-collars upon said rods, springs positioned between said collars and some of said brackets for exerting a torsional strain upon said rods in one direction, said rods pivotally connected to the outer ends of said bell-crank levers, trigger links pivotally connected near their inner ends to said rods, and each trigger link including a body having an apertured tail-piece and an angle,

trigger finger, substantially as shown and described.

In testimonywhereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JAMES HESTER. 

